Chapter 404: Last Battle (1)
What I witnessed in front of me turned out to be a magnificent scene.
I had even begun thinking that I wanted to charge into the battle with them.
Seeing the people running through the plains with their spears pointed forward as they screamed at the top of their lungs made me feel excited.
"Charge!!"
"Chaargeee!!"
"Wahhhhhhhhh!!!"
"For Goddess Benignore!"
Divine power continued to fall over our cavalry unit.
The ground trembled before their might as a strange heat began to rise from our camp.
I felt stunned by the scene so much I forgot to head to the command and control room. Soon after, magic began to bombard us from the enemy camp, to which we answered back with defense magic that protected our troops and wrapped around our allies.
Our magical prowess was on par with the enemy.
Of course, I didn't know if the enemy had been hiding their true power, but at least it felt like it would be easy for our troops to reach the enemy.
As if they thought they couldn't handle our entire army in melee combat, magic spells continued to drop across the fields, causing loud explosions to reverberate and damaging our forces. However, that amount of casualties turned out to be insignificant.
As I watched the enemy troops prepare to greet us with shields and weapons unwaveringly, it was made clear to me that they had been waiting for us all along.
A device to prevent the rushing cavalry rose above the ground, causing some of the horsemen to roll over the floor upon being unable to withstand its strength.
I couldn't discern the life and death of any of the soldiers who had fallen, even though sacred power immediately rained down within the area.
'We're not doing terrible so far.'
I looked around and tried to make sense of the transpiring events, not because I doubted Lee Jihye's judgment, but rather because I thought I should be aware of the overall situation.
Watching the enemy who had already set up camp, they were definitely expecting us to arrive.
Castle Rock had been nothing but a bait.
What I wanted was a huge battle. That plain was the stage that he himself had created.
It was safe to say that it was designed to get the information he wanted and to initiate the battles he desired at the right time.
As for the quality and quantity of the troops, I couldn't determine which one was superior.
Looking at the siege itself, I could say that my judgment was correct from all the perspectives I could think of. If they were attacking the castle instead, I could be more relaxed.
I could've reorganized formations, set up camps, built frontlines, and waited for reinforcements.
Of course, it was still fortunate that the castle hadn't been dominated yet, but it was inconvenient that it was all part of the plan of the guy who had designed that very situation.
Either he had hidden moves... or he had some form of insurance.
Other than that, there was nothing that could explain the current situation. If he wanted to see the war last a little longer, he should've focused on blocking the road a little longer.
It would've been proper to plan the battle in such a way that would prevent the main unit from arriving at Castle Rock to drag us back.
I didn't know what conclusions had come from the Demon Summoner's command, but they didn't want to prolong that war either.
In a way, I could see that our interests matched.
The difference was the amount of information available. That in itself could be a problem.
"Hyung-nim, are you not going in? It's dangerous to stand around in the open."
"No. I'll go right in."
At this, I nodded and went into the simple control room.
I could see Lee Jihye, who was still busy controlling the troops by holding the mana hologram.
As soon as she looked at me from the side of her eyes, she spoke to me, her voice carrying a hint of irritation.
"You sure took your time. What were you blanking out there for? You should've come quickly to help me out."
"I thought you would be doing well on your own. Never mind that. How is the situation?"
"Neither bad nor good. We succeeded in pushing our main unit to the enemy forces... Oh! I like the fact that we didn't take that much damage."
"Then what's the problem?"
"The problem is that there is no problem. This is all making me anxious. They certainly made a lot of preparations on their side. Can you see the named ones on the screen?"
I glanced at the Goddess's Mirror. I could definitely see the faces of those who could be labeled as named.
The Russian versions of Park Deokgu, Shaolin, and Jin Qing were not visible, but those in the same league were all waiting for the right time to join the battle.
"I've seen some of those guys in Laios, but there are faces I'm not familiar with..."
"I haven't figured out everything yet. Seeing how they were brought here from each region like that, we can assume that they are betting everything they've got on this battle. Thanks to that, it'll be easier in other areas, but it's not we can't celebrate that now. Anyway, it's good that we caught the spear-thrower from before. I think it would be more inconvenient for us if he joined that lineup."
"It would be hard to ask for support from Castle Rock, wouldn't it?"
"Castle Rock isn't in battle right now, but they're trapped. They're like a princess captured by the Devil. I know this is dangerous, but I can't help it. I want to abandon the princess, but I can't."
"That's an appropriate analogy."
"Yeah. And this again..."
"Oh. Tactical consultant Kim Hyunsung."
"I won't use it yet. You stay on standby as well, for now. If the path opens up or the situation becomes unfavorable, then I will put you in. Until then, I think you can take charge of Unit 6 and 7. I'll send the coordinates now."
"Noted, Jihye."
The battle was just beginning.
The Goddess's Mirror reflected the troops hitting each other with swords and spears in order to push their opponents away.
When I looked at it from a distance, each unit looked to be maintaining their camps closely. However, from a closer point of view, they were starting to mix with each other slowly.
'It's not that bad.'
-These filthy demon minions! God will not forgive you!
-Crazy bastards, you all are the demons!
-Stop the dwarves from entering! The midgets!
-Who are you calling midgets? You, humans, sold your souls to the Devil!
Unlike the guys who already had ranks, what that side should aim for was to smash them.
In that sense, the dwarves who broke through the ranked ones deserved an appreciative nod.
That troop had both small and solid bodies fully armed with good quality armor, allowing them to be advantageous in such a battle regardless of the situation.
My mouth fell wide open as I watched them wield a large ax to break through the shield-equipped enemy lines.
There were battles that could be dominated due to their small statures.
That was how humans dealt with medium or large monsters.
They had made the opponent run out of stamina by pushing up from the bottom, causing them to lose balance, or by persistently attacking the lower body. They could be called specialists in that area.
I could see our troops pushing their way through the path that started to open little by little.
'Nice!'
On the other side, great summoners continued to conjure spirit magic.
They couldn't deal gigantic blows, but they constantly scratched enemies' nerves, something commendable in such a war.
I liked the feeling like the troops themselves were popping up like popcorn.
Since one summoner kept at least two to three enemies at bay, their number was enough to add sufficient power to the frontline.
Naturally, some places were forced to be pushed back. However, it was better to focus on areas they had pierced through than on areas that were on a stalemate.
Connecting to the screen dedicated to Kim Hyunsung as if I was the driver of a Lamborghini, I finally noticed that the guy had been waiting for my command.
-Should I go in?
"Yes. I'll give you the coordinates."
-Okay.
"Don't overdo it. We're just beginning. All you have to do is add firepower to the forces that have begun to be mixed together."
-Yes. Noted.
As I had already done it before, it felt a little easier to do it again.
First, the goal was to place allied troops, including Kim Hyunsung, at strategic points.
It didn't feel as hectic as before because he wasn't alone. The troops were constantly opening the way.
I didn't know if it was because of that, but I kept feeling as if something was missing. I thought it couldn't be helped.
My head already remembered Kim Hyunsung's movements.
My lack of frustration when I commanded him kept making me hold my breath.
'Still.'
Kim Hyunsung was, after all, Kim Hyunsung.
Of course, the synergy was good with them, including Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin, who had gone together.
Since it was composed only of high-quality troops, it was understandable, but what they were currently showing was also a series of surprises.
-Requesting support! Requesting reinforcement! Please send reinforcement as soon as possible!
-Priests!
-Support... gasp!
I knew better than anyone else that people shouldn't get their feet tied in that kind of situation.
We continuously moved troops and smashed the opponents from within.
Pushing their way to the center along with Kim Hyunsung certainly seemed to have no sense of incongruity to be called the army of God.
'I think it's okay to take him out now.'
The distance from the opponent's wizard and priest squads was a bit uncertain. It was difficult to judge whether Kim Hyunsung could be sent out separately.
'You can escape even if I calculate the risks wrong, right?'
It would be possible if I kept providing the coordinates.
I knew that the idea of wanting to benefit a little more was dangerous, but I genuinely believed in Kim Hyunsung's ability. After entrusting the troops to the nearest dwarven unit, I gave orders to the lovely returner separately.
Dozens of magic holograms now lined up in front of me.
Before I could even start, my head was already aching, but I wanted to experience that strange feeling once again, so I started moving my fingers.
Shortly after that, my nose bled again, but I couldn't afford to worry about that.
"I'll send you the coordinates. It is a standalone action. It won't be far away, Hyunsung."
-Noted.
I couldn't confirm if it was just my imagination, but Kim Hyunsung's voice also sounded a bit excited.
After I confirmed that Kim Hyunsung was running into the enemy forces immediately, I focused on the hologram. It was like being sucked into the screen in front of my eyes.
Despite being the second time, I was still amazed.
"Goals have been set. Start with the enemy wizard squad."
-Noted.
It was harder to find a path compared to the last battle.
The enemy's formation had been properly deployed, making it more difficult to make a path.
However, under the influence of the surrounding forces, I pushed Kim Hyunsung into the path that began to appear little by little.
The ability to produce results as soon as he was deployed was impressive.
As expected, the way he wielded his sword was incomprehensible. He stabbed, twisted around, then advanced.
Perhaps none of the named ones in the enemy's possession could move that much.
The difference from the previous battle was that Kim Hyunsung wasn't going easy on them.
'He couldn't afford to.'
It was something I couldn't be happy with.
Magic poured out from all sides, and swords and spears were swung and thrown. He was moving forward somehow, but I thought he was probably focusing several times more than usual.
Weapons and limbs continued to soar into the air as screams echoed across the battlefield, but the orthodox swordsman didn't stop moving towards his destination.
He seemed to be getting farther and farther away from the main unit.
It was natural to wait for progress after urgently putting one squad inward.
Kim Hyunsung was nearing the front of the enemy's wizard squad.
'Huh?'
Craaaaacckkkk!
Along with a thunderous sound, an unknown magic power swept through that side.
"Jihye, just now..."
"Damn... Damn! What happened to the Goddess's Mirrors?"
'Fuck.'
The magic holograms in front of Lee Jihye began to turn off one by one. My mouth moved seconds faster than it took for my mind to grasp the situation fully.
"Hyunsung! Retreat!"
Ziiing!
Along with a sound, the magic hologram in front of me also went dark.
"That son of a bitch..."
Only then did I realize what the Demon Summoner bastard was aiming for.